January 12th, 2011 | 
Author: MEDFORD, OR – A man was seriously injured Tuesday afternoon, December 21, when his vehicle was partially crushed in a rollover truck accident at a busy intersection in Jackson County, Oregon. The injured man was trapped in his vehicle for more than an hour after a trailer section of the semi flipped onto his pick-up truck at the intersection of Biddle and Table Rock Roads in the city of Medford, OR. The truck accident area is the far southwest corner of Oregon, about 282 miles south of Vancouver, Washington and about 148 miles north of Redding, California.
On Tuesday afternoon 41 year old Phillip B. McCulloch of Central Point, OR was driving a semi trailer truck through Jackson County, OR. The driver was hauling two trailer sections but his cargo and destination is not known. The tractor trailer is owned by Express Transport, a trucking and freight company based out of Seattle, Washington. At the time of the truck accident the semi driver was headed south, traveling on Table Rock Rd.
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Just before 2:00 p.m. Tuesday afternoon, the semi driver was in the city of Medford, approaching the juncture with Biddle Road. The truck driver was attempting to make a right turn onto westbound Biddle Rd. when the load inside the second trailer reportedly shifted and threw the 18 wheeler off balance. As the 18 wheeler completed the turn the back trailer section detached from the semi and fell into the line of traffic in eastbound Biddle Rd., which was stopped for a red-light. The first vehicle hit in the truck accident was a white Ford F-150. After sideswiping the Ford the runaway trailer section flipped over and fell onto a dark grey Chevy Silverado. The trailer section came to a rest, entrapping the Chevy’s driver inside his pick-up.
Emergency rescue teams from the Jackson County and Medford Fire Departments quickly arrived at the scene of the multiple vehicle truck accident. They found that the trailer was lying across the lap of the pick-up driver and they were unable to manually help him from the destroyed Chevy. A fork-lift and heavy wrecker truck were brought to the crash site and the rescue workers carefully removed the trailer section off the injured man, identified as 59 year old William W. Geary of Central Point, OR. Once they got the trailer section off the pick-up firefighters used tools to cut off the roof of the Chevy Silverado.
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It would take about 90 minutes to reach Mr. Geary. Once free he was giving initial treatment at the crash site and then transported by a Mercy Flights ambulance to Rogue Valley Medical Center in Medford. A small crowd that gathered at the truck accident scene cheered as the man was rushed away. The exact extent of his injuries has not been released but he was listed in critical condition as of Tuesday night.
The driver of the semi, Mr. McCulloch, and the unidentified driver of the Ford 150 were not injured in the truck accident.
Police shut down the intersection of Table Rock and Biddle Roads while the emergency personnel worked and officers questioned witnesses. The closures would extend up to Hamrick Road. Highway crews cleared the wreckage of the demolished Chevy Silverado off the road and the errant trailer section was towed away. The area was cleared and reopened for traffic shortly before 6:00 p.m. Tuesday night, more than three hours after the truck accident.
Authorities investigating the collision have not yet released their findings. One theory is that the shifting cargo made the tractor trailer go off balance and ultimately caused the truck accident. The truck driver may also have taken the turn too fast, which caused the trailer section to disengage from the semi cab and crash into the two smaller vehicles.
No charges have been brought against the semi driver at this time. The truck accident remains under investigation.
Gordon Elias & Seely, LLP recommend that if you know anyone who has been injured or killed as the result of a commercial truck accident involving a semi truck, 18 wheeler, big rig, tractor trailer or bus, tell them to immediately contact a qualified truck accident lawyer for advice. Often times the truck company and the truck driver will be from other states other than where the accident occurred. Truck accident attorneys often times have relationships with other experienced truck accident attorneys licensed in other states. Gordon, Elias & Seely LLP are licensed in Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana and Washington, DC and have informal relationships with other truck accident lawyers. For more information, visit their page about Medford OR truck accident lawyers or call 800.773.6770.
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